FALCONS. 
uniform brick-red colour, but they may be mottled with a darker shade. The 
merlin commonly preys upon small birds, and has been trained to fly at snipe, 
larks, thrushes, etc. According to Messrs Salvin and Brodrick, “ the strongest 
female merlins may be trained to fly pigeons admirably, and from their small size, 
and the way in which they follow every turn and shift of the quarry, are better 
adapted for this chase than the peregrine; unlike it, they do not stop when the 
pigeon takes refuge in a hedge or tree, but dash in and generally secure it.” 
In addition to its smaller size and much darker general colour, the American 
pigeon-hawk is distinguished by having four black bars on the tail, of which the 
last is much the widest. This falcon is a migratory species, with a swift and 
powerful flight, breeding in open nests or hollows of trees, as well as on cliffs, 
and in cavities in the banks of rivers. The following interesting anecdote is given 
by Mr. R. Macfarlane regarding this species. On the 25th of May, 1864, an 
Indian in his employ “ found a nest placed in the midst of a thick branch of a 
merlins (| nat. size). 
